<p>Is doing mechanical engineering as an undergrad and aerospace as a graduate, a good idea? Should I take AE classes when I am an undergrad to complete the course faster?</p>
<p>Many people take that route. Many people also go straight to the aerospace industry with a mechanical engineering degree. If in the course of your mechanical engineering degree you decide you want to start angling toward aerospace applications, then absolutely fill your electives with courses leaning that direction.</p>
<p>Other than that, do not plan on doing graduate school by default. You don’t know how you will feel about that 4 or 5 years down the road and graduate school is not for everyone, so make sure that you choose your undergraduate major such that will be able to find something that you enjoy after finishing your undergraduate degree if graduate school doesn’t work out for whatever reason.</p>
<p>It’s also not uncommon to earn dual degrees in Mech and Aero. If your school offers the option, it may only require 3 or 4 additional classes.</p>
<p>Common reasons to earn a dual undergraduate degree are to improve job opportunities during slow hiring times or to gain a more diverse background. The main disadvantage of earning a dual Bachelor of Science degree is that it delays your graduation one or more semesters. If you consider a dual BS degree you should also consider graduate study.</p>
<p>I don’t really see the point in doing dual undergrad degrees (ME & AE). The two disciplines are so closely related it would be pointless IMO.</p>
<p>Better to just do AE (BS) -> ME (MS), or ME (BS) -> AE (MS).</p>
<p>If you are doing a co-terminal (B.S. + M.S.) program at the same university then it makes sense. If you are expecting to transfer the graduate courses to another university then be aware that if they are counted toward your B.S. the probably cannot be applied to a graduate program elsewhere. Also, a different university might not even accept them for transfer. If that is the case, then the advantage of taking cou8rses at the graduate level is that you get exposure to the level of coursework expected. However, if you are changing universities, I agree with @bone3head that you don’t necessarily want to rush into a graduate program right away. Engineering programs value work experience and once you are working for a bit you will probably have a better idea of the right graduate program for you. Plus, your employer may pay for it!</p>
<p>I think you may have misunderstood my message a bit, @xraymancs. Rushing into graduate school is fine for some people and not so much for others. It all depends on your goals. What I was trying to say was that there are a lot of kids who think they want a graduate degree when they are in high school and start making all these college choices under the assumption that they will do what they really want in graduate school. My point is that this is a silly approach and the student should pick an undergraduate degree that can get them to a place they want to be should their plans regarding graduate school change.</p>
<p>Regarding going straight to graduate school or not, it all depends on your goals. If you are looking to get a thesis-based research degree, it is often beneficial to go directly after undergrad just because it would be hard to go back full time after you get used to a real salary. On the other hand, if all you want is the degree and the rubber stamp on your resume for career advancement and not to get into the research side of things, then there is no problem with waiting, especially since you will have a better idea of what you want to do.</p>
<p>I completely agree with you @boneh3ad.</p>
<p>So many options…</p>
<p>Another reason to quickly get your MS, is as part of a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program (if offered at your school). These degree programs often allows students to double-count graduate courses toward both degrees. You stay an “undergraduate” till you earn both degrees (which takes an extra year, on average). Being counted as an undergrad often has advantages for scholarships and such. </p>
<p>Another question that I had is - Does doing just aerospace , OR doing mechanical bachelors and aerospace masters (which I am thinking of completing as a combined program) sound better?
Because I love both fields, and now the only thing is maximizing my chances of getting better jobs and pays! What would y’all say?</p>
<p>That generally will have zero effect on pay and zero effect on the jobs open to you. At any rate, you should do what interests you, not what promises a marginally better paycheck.</p>